(RNS) — A North Carolina home repair company that advertises as “Grandmother Approved” has agreed to pay $50,000 to settle a lawsuit brought by two employees who were fired for refusing to participate in daily Christian prayers.The lawsuit, brought by the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission against Aurora Pro Services of Greensboro, alleges the company created a religiously hostile work environment that constituted harassment on the basis of religion.
The two former employees, John McGaha and Mackenzie Saunders, who identify as atheist and agnostic, respectively, were let go after they declined to participate in a daily prayer circle, during which the company’s owner read Bible verses.
Oscar D. Lopez, the company’s owner, declined to comment. His LinkedIn page describes him as “Servant. Husband. Father. Devout Catholic.” The “About” section of the website says the company is named for Lopez’s grandmother, Aurora: “From her, I learned what family means. I learned honesty is the only option. I learned that no matter what troubles I have, the solution can always be found in the Lord.”
Aurora Pro Services, which provides residential contract services such as roofing, plumbing and heating, at first retaliated against McGaha, a construction manager, by slashing his wages in half. In 2020, it then fired him. McGaha said he had noticed that the length of the prayer meetings increased from about 20 minutes to 45 minutes or more as time passed.
Saunders, who worked as a custome …
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